Marble shooter



March 7, 1950 w. A. sl-nELDs 2,499,883

MARBLE SHOOTER Filed May '17, 1948 Patented Mar. 7, 1 950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,499,883 v MAR-'BLE snoo'rlm Willie A. Shields, Birmingham, Ala. ApplicatioaMsy 17, 194s, serial Nb. 27,1542

21 Claims.

This invention relates to a marble shooter. It has for its main objects to provldesuch a device that will be highly efiicient for the purpose intended, cheap to manufacture", simple in structure, and easy to use in playing the game of marbles.

A further object is to provide a shooter that will be practically the same in' starting a. marble on a shot with the same force or degree of powery as used by the hand of a player of the game.

A further object is to provide a shooter that can be used without it being necessary for the player to rest upon a knee or squat.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the drawing and description.

By referring generally to the drawing, part of this application, it will be observed that Fig. 1 is a top view of the shooter; Fig. 2 is a vertical view showing part in section and part full; Fig. 3 is an vertical View of partI of the. shooter; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view. part full and part in section.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing in detail it will be seen that the shooter comprises a main curved tube body I with a coiled spring 2 therein that is attached at its upper end to a plunger rod 3 having a handle 4. The lower end of the spring is attached to a second plunger 5 that is slidable through a fixed partition 6 in the horizontal portion of the tube for part of the length of the plunger. This plunger has a cone shaped portion I and an extension 8 with a cupped end 9 for holding a rubber plug I0. A latch assembly is mounted on the tube body. This latchconsists of a bar II attached swingably on a support I2 that is fixed to the end of the tube body. Carried on the bar is a depending arm I3 with its lower end extending through a hole I4 in the tube. At the other end of the bar a small rod I5 is swingably attached and extends upward through brackets I6 and I'I fixed on the tube body. This rod is provided with a loop handle I8. A small coil spring I9 is mounted in compressed condition on the rod between the bottom of the bracket I6 and a xed collar 20 on the rod. Attached to the lower end of the tube body are three i'lat type springs 2|, 22 and 23 that are positioned above a hole 24 in the bottom of an end bracket 25 attached to the end of the tube adjacent to a wall 26 having a hole 2I-therein through which the small part of the extension of the plunger is slidable. The free ends of the nat springs are adapted to hold a marble 28 in position for shooting after the shooter. has been.; placed over a marble on the ground through the hole in the bracket. If there is no marble on: the ground, one may be inserted through the., front ends oi" the springs. The rear of the: shooter has attached supports or feet 29 and: 30.. The main spring in .the tubev is installed normally. at rest asl shown plainly in Fig.'2.. In.: use the player pulls the main handle upward thereby pulling the horizontal plunger. tok the. position shown: in Fig.. 4.-. Then. thev shooter placed so that the marbley will enter the holel in the bracket andbe held in the position indicated by the broken line circle 3| in Fig. 2. Then the` f' handle on the. upright plunger is pushed downward and held in any desired position. for com-, pressingy the main spring in the tube body, and. while so held by one hand` of the player the latch. isA pulled upward with the other hand thereby releasing the horizontalv plunger causing Iit. to.; strike the-marble and start it on its way as= indicated by-fthe .broken line circle 32 in Fig.. 2. The player may also make a push shot by placing the marble as shown in Fig. 4 away from the entering hole, and by holding the latch open and pushing the marble out beyond the ends of the three flat type holding springs. Also the player may not use the latch by holding it in unlatched position by pulling upward on its rod handle, and then pushing lightly downward the main handle, the main spring, and the horizontal plunger to thus cause the end of the plunger to make contact with the marble and start it on its way. From the foregoing it will appear that if a player wants to make a long shot the handle plunger is used to compress the main spring to its limit before releasing the latch. Then the release of the latch will cause a sudden and strong contact between the rubber end of the horizontal plunger and the placed marble. Any kind of weaker shot may be made by the player controlling the plunger assembly while holding the latch in unlatched condition. As a general result any kind of marble shot may be made from the strongest to the weakest similar to shots made by the hand of a player'in a conventional marble game.

The device may be made of any material suitable for the purpose but I prefer to use different kinds of metal. The invention resides in the arrangement and combination of the parts, not the material of which they are made. Also the shooter may be made in various sizes.

While I have shown and described the pretence-'embodiment of` my invention. l d@ not wish to limit same to the exact and precise details of structure, but reserve the right to make all modifications and changes so long as they tend from above the curve in the upright portion.

to beyond the curve in the horizontal portion; a plunger rod attached to the upper end of the said spring and extending outward and'above the upper end of the tube, a cap with hole therein on the end of the tube with the plunger rod through the hole, a knob handle attached-to the top end of the said plunger rod; a horizontal plunger rod attached to the lower end of "the said spring, said'horizontal plunger beingpartly slidable within the tube and extending out beyond the lower end of the tube, a rubberplug attached to the outer end of the plunger, a c'one shaped portion integral with the horizontal' plunger, a 4latch with spring control mounted on the tube and adapted to 'hold the horizontal plunger in retarded position when latche'd; a

bracket attached to the lower end of the tube body, a round hole in the bottom of the said bracket, three flat type springs attached by one' end of each to the bracketY and endofA the tube" lowerV portion of the tube body, a supporting' member attached'to the lower end of the tube'," said bar having one end thereof swingably at tached to said supporting member; a depending member attached to themiddle portion of the bar, a hole in the tube, said depending member having its lower end within said hole and in normal position forming said latch portion adjacent the face of the wide end of the said cone shaped portion of the lower plunger rod, a small rod attached to the other end of the bar having the depending member, said small rod extending upward and supported in brackets xed to the upright portion of the tube body, a loop handle integral with the upper end of said small rod, a collar xed on the small rod and positioned on the rod below the upper xed bracket on the tube, a coil spring in compressed condition mounted around said small rod with one end of the spring abutting the top face of said attached collaron the rod with the other end of the spring abutting the under face of the top bracket supporting the rod; said horizontal bar and depending member and small rod and spring thereon forming a latch adapted for holding the lower plunger in the tube in retarded position when the main spring of the shooter' is cornpressed and for releasing said plunger by a manual pull von the loop handle of the small rod while the said main spring is compressed; said plunger when thus released adapted for its rubbercushioned end to strike with force a game playing marblevpositioned within the control of the three flat type springs attached to the end of the lower portion of the tube body.

WILLIE A. SHELDS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this :patent:

.UNITED STATES PATENTS 

